Time taken for development!

[maxdp]

Hi,
Can anyone give me an estimate of how long it would normally take to code a file-to-table mainframe COBOL/DB2/VSAM extract program with the following statistics?
Input files : 2
Input tables/cursors : 25 (around 300 fields)
Output tables : 3
Only essential error checks relating to the above inputs/outputs.
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[MarcLodge]

Hi Max,
What a question! The answer, as in most things in life, depends totally on the experience of the staff available. If I attempt to change a flat tyre, it might take me 2 hours. If I go to a garage, it might take them 30 minutes. If I go to a tyre specialist, 10 minutes. But I've seen Ferrari change Schumacher's tyres in under 8 seconds!!!

So......I cannot really give you a proper answer, because it depends upon the staff you have available. For the type of program you are asking about, at a very very general level, you should reckon on 2-3 days for the spec, 4-6 days for the coding, and 2-4 days for the unit testing. Obviously for an experienced operative like GregSimpson or myself, you'd be talking considerably less time!

Hope this helps
Marc

 

[maxdp]

Thanks, Marc! I should've obviously included the experience of the developer - around 5-6 yrs mainframe experience but this is probably one of his first real DB2 programs. Anyway, your estimate is of great help. Thanks for responding.
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[gregsimpson]

Well thank you Marc.

Cheers
Greg